Best Amazon Alexa Devices of 2023

Amazon’s third-gen Echo Dot with Clock was our previous favorite Alexa speaker, but with the 2020 product lineup, the flagship fourth-gen Echo speaker gets the green light.

At $100, the spheroidal speaker is more expensive than the $50 fourth-generation Amazon Echo Dot, though the sound quality improvements and some intriguing smart home features justify the extra cost.

The shape of this smart device sets Amazon’s new Echo speaker apart. Where the third-gen Echo offered a barely perceptible improvement in sound quality over its predecessor, the ball-shaped fourth-gen version has significantly better audio output, including respectable bass for a speaker. in its price range.

On the smart home front, the fourth-generation Echo also has a built-in Zigbee receiver, carrying over a feature from the older Amazon Echo Plus.

The Zigbee receiver allows the new Echo to function as a smart home connectivity point for compatible smart lights, outlets and other Zigbee-based accessories.

This means you can use the Echo itself as a hub for listening to music and more without needing any additional hardware to bring those devices online.

The third-gen Wyze Cam, like its previous versions, only costs around $30, but this smart home device is one of our favorite cameras overall, partly because of its low price.

It comes with a weatherproof housing, sharper night vision than its predecessor, wider field of view, loud siren and more, including 14-day video clip storage and a built-in microSD card slot for local storage.

If you have an Echo Show smart display, you can also start the Wyze Cam’s stream on the display with a simple voice command.

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is Amazon’s latest smart display. You get an 8-inch display with the best resolution of any Echo Show yet, a camera shutter, and all the smarts of previous Amazon smart displays.

The Echo Show 8 has a built-in Alexa speaker. That means you can use this smart display to ask your Alexa digital assistant to do your bidding, whether that’s asking it to play music, relay the weather or just tell you a joke.

And, because it’s a smart display, it also offers advanced compatibility with Alexa-enabled security cameras.

Ask Alexa to “answer the front door” when someone rings your Ring Peephole Cam and you can see the live stream on your Show 8 – and talk to the person, right from the smart display.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is an excellent smart lock. It fits most standard deadbolts, so you don’t have to deal with complicated installation.

Built-in Wi-Fi allows your smart lock to be accessed and controlled remotely via the Android or iOS app without the need for an August Connect module.

And, as its place on this list might suggest, it’s also an Alexa-enabled device – that means you can lock and unlock your door from an Alexa-enabled smart speaker using your voice. .

The lock also comes with an open/close sensor – called DoorSense – which attaches to the door in question.

This way the app can not only tell you if the door is locked or unlocked, but also if the door is open or closed.

It’s a nice touch of functionality from such an easy to use smart lock.

Amazon’s $80 Smart Thermostat is hard to beat for value, and it’s priced right.

For starters, the thermostat works as well with Alexa as you’d expect given it’s an Amazon product, so if you have an Echo speaker or an Echo Show display, you should be fine. to get the most out of the device.

Even for those who don’t, the thermostat offers a simple, straightforward design that looks great on a wall and is a pleasure to use, and it could even save you up to $50 a year with its savings settings. of energy.

Wyze is well known for its super cheap prices, and its Wi-Fi connected smart bulb is no different. If you are looking for a smart light that works with voice commands, this is the best one compatible with Alexa.

A standard two-pack of white bulbs can be had for just $23, but fully color-changing versions are only a few dollars more at $27 for a two-pack, which is worth it even if you don’t break it. than these colors on rare holiday occasions.

Either way, you get a 2-pack of Alexa-enabled bulbs that connect directly to your home internet network via Wi-Fi. Screw them on, connect via the Wyze app, and you’re good to go.

Colors aside, Wyze bulbs have a wide range of white light, from candlelight to daylight white.

Plus, despite their low price, they produce better brightness than many more expensive bulbs.

While other DIY home security systems work well with Alexa, the Ring Alarm Pro delivers great performance with unique built-in Alexa integrations. In fact, with the premium Ring Protect Plus subscription, you even get Alexa’s security feature – Guard Plus – built-in for free.

This means Alexa will listen for broken glass or footsteps while you’re away and alert you if it hears anything fishy.

Beyond its Alexa integrations, the Ring Alarm Plus offers fantastic features, like a built-in Wi-Fi 6 gateway, internet backup, local processing and storage (a first for Ring), cellular backup, professional monitoring and more.

An eight-piece system costs $300, and subscriptions range from $3 a month to $20 a month — the most expensive of which still undercuts some of the top competitors.

In short, this system is fantastic value.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a big name for a small smart plug that costs around $30.

A smart plug like this connects via your Wi-Fi connection directly to a wall outlet and converts your lamps, fans, and other non-smart gadgets into smart devices.

Use the TP-Link app to connect and control devices – or sign up Amazon Alexa and use voice control.

Say “Alexa, turn on the reading light” and the Plug Mini smart plug easily controls the devices connected to it.